Monday, 3 April 2017

I've been looking on YouTube for some material on the history of the WRNS.

This film clip is from 1918

and shows an inspection of the WRNS by Commander Sir R. William Buleley, Bart,. C.B., R.N.R.
The film is remarkably clear and you can see the uniforms really well.
Sir William barely looks at the WRNS as he walks past but they don't seem to care.

The WRNS was founded in 1917

and by 1919 there were 7,000 Wrens including Cooks and Stewards, Despatch Riders, Sail Makers and those in Intelligence. Tellingly, their motto was ‘Never at Sea’.

At the start of WW2, 3,000 women were recruited for the WRNS

into the same roles as before and also in new roles such as Radio Operators, Meteorologists, Bomb Range Markers together with sea-going Cypher Officers, Coders and Boat’s Crew Wrens. By 1944 there were 74,000 WRNS Officers and ratings.
This time their motto was ‘Free a Man for the Fleet’.

This is another nice clip.

It shows Queen Mary inspecting the WRNS but exactly where and when is unclear. The caption just says that they're on the sports field of a naval barracks and one version of the clip dates it at 1941. Some good shots of the uniforms and at least this time the person inspecting the ranks seems a bit more interested in the recruits.

And a great little bit of film to finish with:

some WRNS actually at work on a boat! Note the change of clothes into something much more practical.
And no standing on ceremony here.

It was in the Hartlepool Northern Daily Mailon Monday 27 October 1941.

The Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) was the female auxiliary of the Royal Air Force during World War II and established in 1939. At its peak strength, in 1943, WAAF numbers exceeded 180,000, with over 2,000 women enlisting per week.